Mike Gundy: Oklahoma State Will Play Traditional Spring Game

The spring game is officially back in Stillwater.

After a few years of either not having any spring event or hosting a spring practice event, the Cowboys will be having a real spring game in 2025. On Saturday, Oklahoma State will have its spring game after originally being slated to have an open practice with meet and greet opportunities for fans.

OSU coach Mike Gundy had floated the idea of playing a Bedlam spring game earlier in the spring period, but that idea never went anywhere. Instead, Gundy told reporters after Tuesday’s practice that a traditional spring game was back on.

"We're going to split teams, we're going to split coaches and we're going to play a real game,” Gundy said. “This team needs to play a game, I need to see them play a game.” 

The interest in playing a typical spring game makes sense considering the vast amount of changes OSU went through over the offseason. Not only did the Cowboys have a significant turnover on the coaching staff, but they also have brought in an abundance of new players through the transfer portal.

“I want to see everything right now with these guys,” Gundy said. “There's so many new players that have played and competed well in practice, and I don't know anything about them, so I want to see them play in a game."

While there is only so much coaches can learn about their players in a spring game, there is still plenty of value in playing it. Beyond the obvious idea of getting players more reps in simulated game action, it allows players to begin to find their roles within the team as the season inches closer.

Although there are still over four months until the start of the 2025 season, the significant changes coming into the season mean the Cowboys need to take advantage of every opportunity they can get. As they look to improve and make it back to a bowl game next season, the Cowboys need to know as much as they can about who they have coming into the first game.